Their weekend camping trip was coming to a close, in the morning everyone would pack up to go home. The adults had gathered the cubs for one last campfire before bedtime. After roasting the remaining hotdogs for dinner they gave each cub a stick and passed around the last bags of marshmallows.

Snow found a seat next to Xabi and the two started to roast marshmallows.

Xabi was mute so talking to the alligator felt a little like playing charades, but since they liked to mime this worked well for them. When something too complex to act out was needed they used sign language, which some of the adults could interpret.

Snow held up his stick with a partially roasted marshmallow. “Looks a little like me. Brown bottom and white top”.

Xabi giggled and nodded, then signaled for someone to pass them the marshmallows.

Snow was focused on getting his marshmallow fully toasted without catching fire and didn’t notice what Xabi was up to until they showed him. On the end of Xabi’s stick was several marshmallows stuck together to look like a bear – and they had been roasted to resemble Snow.

Snow giggled “Now that really does look like … me?” He giggled again but this time it sounded a bit nervous, “Um I know alligators eat meat but … you wouldn’t actually eat me … right?”

Xabi thought for a moment how to mime the response, then waved to one of the adults and started to sign asking them to speak for them.

Xabi stuck the whole marshmallow bear in their mouth and ate it as they signed, “I don’t know, do bears taste sweet like marshmallows?” Not knowing what came before the adult looked a bit confused at that.

Snow now looked a little scared “You would roast me!?”

Xabi shook their head no and with a serious face started to sign again, “Of course not. We prefer to pull meals underwater to … “, the adult looked shocked at what the cub was saying and exclaimed “Xabi!”

Snow looked shocked and confused about what the alligator was trying to say and the adults reaction to it.

Seeing their expressions Xabi could no longer keep a serious expression and began to silently laugh, laughing so hard they fell backward off the log. They finally stopped but one look at Snow’s confused face looking down at them just sent them off laughing some more.

“What’s so funny, what were they going to say?” Snow asked.

“Just eat your marshmallows dear” the adult replied, “oh and if they offer to help clean your sticky fingers it’s better if you do it yourself” they added with a chuckle.

Art by   nazznikonanuke
Xabi belongs to Nazz.
This was a Patreon reward https://Patreon.com/Nazz